Chelsie Osborne

Meet Chelsie. Chelsie is using what she learnt on her course to help young people turn their lives around.

Making an impact

Chelsie was interested in how crime impacts society and why people commit crime - she knew she wanted to pursue a career in the criminal justice system. Herts had the right course for her, BA (Hons) Criminal Justice and Criminology, and the campus was easy to travel to from home. As Chelsie says, ‘The course looked at the different aspects of crime and the reasons behind it. We considered people's different characteristics, such as their age or gender. I also enjoyed learning about victimology and the impact of crime too.’

‘In my role as a Youth Violence Caseworker in an A&E department, I use what I learnt on the course to better understand the different factors that lead people to commit crime. This means I can help young people more effectively by having meaningful discussions with them about their life choices, reasons for their actions, and the potential consequences of them. I know I am making a big difference and it’s great to be able to help young people make positive lifestyle changes, whether that’s with their education, employment, or housing.’

Chelsie wants to continue developing in her career and has ambitions to support the rehabilitation of offenders. She says, ‘I want to be part of shaping what rehabilitation in prisons looks like, as I don’t feel we are doing enough to help people with a custodial sentence make positive changes to their lives. Currently, we approach it as if ‘one size fits all’, but I believe this type of support should be more holistic.’

Her advice

One of Chelsie’s favourite experiences at Herts was Freshers’ Week and other events held on campus during her studies. Whilst she encourages current and future students to work hard, she adds, ‘Don’t forget to have fun along the way. University is what you make of it, so take the opportunities you get and make great memories.’